Japanese Night Festival: Chichibu Yo Matsuri
Chichibu Night Festival Lights Up the Sky Gigantic floats, chanting pullers and spectacular fireworks draw thousands of revelers A decorative float burdened with singers makes it way down the streets of Chichibu, two hours northwest of Tokyo. The Chichibu Yo-Matsuri (Night Festival), dating back to the 18th century, is one of the three most famous night festivals in Japan. The small city of Chichibu lies two hours northwest of Tokyo in the mountainous regions of Chichibu National Park. Despite the cold, large crowds descend upon the city every year in early December to see the colorful, illuminated floats parade through the streets. Festival participants Six massive decorative floats festooned with a myriad of lanterns are pulled through the streets by large teams of men and women in festival attire. The floats weigh nearly ten tons and some of them are over 30-feet high. These floats require teams of nearly a hundred people pulling and pushing to get them moving. In front of the floa...